


inflict wounds

by constanted



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Childhood, Ficlet, Gen, Injury, Sibling Bonding, Sparring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:08:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25516306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/constanted/pseuds/constanted
Summary: Caduceus isn't very strong, which Mom says is fine because Caduceus is very gentle, which is a strength of its own. But it's not really the kind of strength that means he ever wins when he and Calliope spar.(or: spells for sensitive little firbolgs)
Relationships: Caduceus Clay & Calliope Clay, Caduceus Clay & Clay Family
Comments: 11
Kudos: 102





	inflict wounds

**Author's Note:**

> [thinks about sweet artsy kid cad with his two jock older siblings] [thinks ab
> 
> happy caduceus week! here's a thing for the first prompt, which is caduceus' time at the grove! a great distraction from caduceus in canon, for whom i am extremely worried!

It's not an unusual request--Calliope has a lot of energy, and she's always asking someone to spar. Usually Colton, but Colton's being a real jerk, lately. So Calliope asked Caduceus to spar, today, and while she definitely thinks she's being nice about it, he can tell that she's bored at the idea of it. 

(Caduceus isn't very strong, which Mom says is fine because Caduceus is very gentle, which is a strength of its own. But it's not really the kind of strength that means he ever wins when he and Calliope spar. It's the kind of strength that means it doesn't take much time at all until Caduceus is too tired and wants healing too much to continue.)

Anyway: they are behind the temple, near the hot spring, and Caduceus is finally getting the hang of holding a quarterstaff. Calliope is making fun of him because he doesn't want to take off the new necklace that he made even if it means that the crystal on it will hit him in the eye. But he likes the necklace, and he likes the crystal, and it won't hit him in the eye if he's careful, which he usually is. (He's also clumsy, but he'll ignore that for now.) Calliope rolls her eyes but starts moving anyway, her attacks quick but easy enough to counter. 

She breaks a sweat before he does, but he also hasn't really hit her at all. She's trash-talking, too, which Mom says she shouldn't do so much but Caduceus doesn't mind; he knows how to get back at Calliope later. There's a really cool idea he has about pretending to be possessed by a wayward spirit that he knows would scare her pretty badly. He's debating what color he would make his eyes for that when he's suddenly overtaken by a sharp pain in his knee.

He falls over, the pain unbearable. Calliope laughs and goes to pin him, and just out of panic, Caduceus grabs her shoulders and says, "Get off of me!" and feels... something in his hands. Like his blood's gone cold and when he blinks, blight-purple mist has surrounded him, and Calliope is on her stomach, eyes closed, barely breathing.

A little bit of blood trails out of one eye, and Caduceus' knee is suddenly the very least of his problems. "Hi, Wildmother?" he says, because she's in his dreams lately and she's been nice enough to give him  some magic--"Um? Can you--fix her?" He wipes his face because he's crying because oh no? And a butterfly lands on Calliope's cheek and the blood stops. And he sighs in relief, but she's still hurt, so he just holds her. Hopes she's okay.

Warmth surrounds him, like a breeze, and he sees pink light, and smells flowers, and--

That's nice. That's really, really nice. He smiles, even though he's still crying and his knee still hurts very badly. "What the hell?" Calliope asks, a little bit groggy.

"I'm sorry, I'm--sorry. Um. Don't tell mama? I was gonna wait until after the baby to tell anybody that I had magic because I didn't want anybody to get stressed out but I also can't really--"

"That was so  cool , Cadi! You won in a fight!"

Caduceus blinks at her.

"You look stupid."

"I'm not stupid! Just--don't tell anyone yet? Okay? It's the Mother and I'm talking to her when I can so it's not anything weird but. Um. I just--the attention, and--I didn't wanna hurt you and I'm really sorry--"

And now she's laughing, "You've never said this many words in a row before."

"I really hurt you!"

"You're being stupid; I would've been  fine ."

"Maybe not," he argues back, because maybe being funny will make his stomach less sick, "Maybe I'm really powerful. Just the strongest cleric. Stronger than Corrin."

Calliope laughs harder, now. She stands, and picks him up, and says, "You got enough fancy magic left to fix your leg, cleric?"

"I'm fine," he says, which is definitely a lie. "But you should carry me home. I'm tired. From all of my cleric-ing."

"Sure." She purses her lips. Squints at him. But she picks him up anyway, like a baby, which he protests, ("I meant on your  back," ) and walks him through the door, just in time for dinner.

"I have an idea on getting back at Colton," he tells her after everyone else is asleep, "With my magic. If you're interested."

Calliope smiles.

(And when that blight-purple mist shows up again, he stops it. He doesn't think he ever wants to have  that as a part of him; using it is like stormclouds and an ache in his knee, it twists inside of him and he can't stop it.)

He smiles back.

**Author's Note:**

> cad's relationship with damage spells fascinates me. let's talk about it in those comments.
> 
> tumblr @yahooanswer


End file.
